Broadband Gigabit Research and the LuckyNet Testbed

Abstract

This paper describes the motivation, architecture, initial applications, and objectives for LuckyNet, an AT&T Bell Labs gigabit research network. Building upon the B-ISDN infrastructure of SONET transport and the ATM packet protocol, LuckyNet will provide a fertile testbed for investigating: broadband applications, network architectures, gigabit packet switches and LANs, high-throughput protocols and interfaces, and network services and operations (including addressing, routing, signaling, control and security).LuckyNet is a heterogeneous network that has as one of its major objectives the demonstration that diverse classes of user traffic (i.e., video, voice, data, and image), as well as control and management information can efficiently utilize a single ATM infrastructure. Another goal is to provide users with gigabit-per-second network access. Initial applications provide 155 Mbps access and include video conferencing, document retrievaL low-latency processor-sharing, and Ethernet interconnection. We expect that this will be followed by FDDI interconnection and multimedia conferencing, with the long-range goal of identifying and supporting gigabit-per-second applications. Extensions to other locations and interworking with NREN sites (e.g., AT&T Bell Labs XUNET II) are anticipated. The network already links the Holmdel and Crawford Hill Laboratories (via optical fiber) and the Crawford Hill and Murray Hill Laboratories (via microwave radio) at 2.5 Gbps.